Chapter 432 - Special Operations Meeting

These insects, birds, and beasts, driven by their instinct to survive, have come to partake in the bounty of the harvest feast—this had been their practice for the past two years.No one had informed them that the vineyard had a new owner.

Even if they knew, they wouldn’t care and would still come uninvited.

For this matter, Gaven personally presided over a special tactics meeting.

The leader of Anbao Boat Village, Avery, Elder Gnome Dennis from Grape Village, Druid Bishop Pikespirit, and others were all on the invitation list.

From the people Gaven especially invited, it was clear he was not planning to resort to mass extermination.

It was not to be done unless absolutely necessary.

That was the price one had to pay for having a large number of the Fae Race and Druids as subordinates.

"Ms. Estelle, how did you deal with this situation in the past?" Gaven asked curiously.

This situation certainly didn’t begin after the vineyard was abandoned; instead, it started with the establishment of the vineyard itself.

It’s just that after the vineyard was abandoned, the situation became more severe.

Estelle’s gentle face was filled with helplessness, "Our approach was to do nothing and let them wreak havoc. We’d recruit as many hands as possible and harvest what we could before they did too much damage. Every year, we would lose about thirty percent of our grapes, most of which were the best.

Because when they feed, they don’t finish a bunch, or even a whole grape. They peck here and there, causing many to rot and attracting more bugs and flies.

After a careful count, the actual amount they eat is not that much.

If it weren’t for this loss, our winery’s production could increase by at least ten thousand bottles a year."

Fine.

Asking had been as good as not asking.

Estelle and her people purely practiced laissez-faire.

Elder Dennis laughed on the side, "Nature has its own balance; those birds aren’t merely pests. You’ve only seen the part where they peck at the grapes, but you haven’t noticed the countless bugs and flies they eliminate. Without insectivorous birds, the damage from bugs and flies to the grapes would be far greater, after all, those pests are thousands to tens of thousands times more numerous than the birds."

Gaven’s heart stirred, "Do any of you have a method to coexist peacefully with these birds? If they can help us catch insects, as a reward, we could offer them ripe grapes to enjoy at their leisure, as long as they don’t ruin the other grapes."

To ordinary people, such an idea would be pure fantasy. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet

Because birds have very low intelligence and cannot be negotiated with, at least most of them cannot.

But for Druids, it was not impossible.

Druid Bishop Pikespirit joined the conversation, "We indeed can talk to those animals and reach corresponding agreements, but the efficiency is simply too low; the vineyard is so large that when the time comes, the number of birds attracted will be in the tens of thousands."

"Why don’t we try the Fairy Song? I believe that with the playing of our Gnomes’ violin and your Pikespirit’s dance, we can elevate the Fairy Song to a sublime level, touching these birds and making them our allies to collectively guard this land, this vineyard." By the end, Dennis’s eyes were shining with anticipation.

"Fairy Song!" Bishop’s eyes lit up, but he hesitated, "But this is the Material Plane, not the Fairy Wilderness. Are you sure it could resonate with nature?"

"By ourselves, I’m not confident, but with Lord Gaven and his Dragon Oak Mother Tree present, this task may not be as difficult as imagined," Dennis had not forgotten his fascination with the Dragon Oak Mother Tree and was very confident.

"Could you explain to me, what is the Fairy Song?" Gaven asked from the side.

"The Fairy Song, also known as the Song of Nature, when sung, resonates with all of nature, allowing all living beings to establish a close connection, especially the wild creatures," explained Dennis, though it was still rather vague.

"My lord only needs to know, when the Song of Nature is sung, you can share your vision with nature through the power of the Dragon Oak Mother Tree. As long as your requests don’t violate the natural Laws, they will provide as much help as possible," added Dennis.

Bishop nodded in agreement, "Lord Gaven, the request you put forward earlier doesn’t violate the way of natural survival. If proposed, it is very likely to be granted a natural covenant, and our predicament could naturally be solved by half. After that, we would only need to focus our attention on those beasts."

"This method sounds excellent; it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. What do you need me to do?" Gaven responded, pleased.

"Nothing before this is necessary, just wait until we’ve gathered enough birds because the more that are gathered, the more creatures the Fairy Song’s covenant will affect, and the better the outcome," Bishop replied, "But Lord Gaven must be prepared to lose a batch of grapes beforehand, as they will act according to their survival instincts until then."

"Nothing is one hundred percent perfect; as long as the loss is less than doing nothing, that’s acceptable," Gaven was quite open-minded about this, "Does this natural covenant have a duration? Is it something that needs to be signed every year, or is it valid for life once signed?"

"This..." Dennis and Bishop exchanged a glance, their embarrassment evident in their eyes.

In the end, it was Dennis who shamelessly explained, "To be honest, we have never performed the Song of Nature in our lifetime. It requires the cooperation of at least two Fairy species, one responsible for playing instruments and the other for singing and dancing, and both species must have more than a hundred members each. As you know, we Fae Race, spend most of our time in solitary seclusion."

"I understand why Grape Village doesn’t have the resources, but why haven’t you used it?" Gaven’s gaze turned toward the Pikespirit Druid, as this condition seemed simple for the Fae of Spring Bud Forest.

Bishop spread his tiny hands, "In the Fairy Wilderness, what need is there for the Fairy Song? We follow the way of nature; they eat if they want to, and what’s left is what nature has given us."

Bishop’s explanation left Gaven speechless, it was so very Druidic.

On the Material Plane, where it’s needed, there were not enough to meet the conditions to perform the Fairy Song.

In the Fairy Wilderness where conditions could be easily met, it wasn’t needed. Talk about irony.

Woo woo woo...

The horns of Erde began to sound one after another.

It was the urgent kind of sound, indicating that another situation had arisen outside.

The target of the attack was unmistakably the vineyard.

Gaven did not dare to neglect the matter, leading the charge out of Grape Village first.

The Half-Moon Colt immediately lowered its flight altitude, closing in beside Gaven.

As Gaven mounted the colt, he asked, "What’s happening now?"

"From the direction of Yewen Forest, a massive horde of boars has been spotted moving toward the vineyard," Luna said excitedly.

The child had a taste of victory from a previous dragon slaying and was eager to try again upon hearing of a conflict, far from being afraid.

She was looking forward to advancing to a level five Druid and unlocking the Bestial Transformation.

"A horde of boars? That’s worth sounding the horn? Can they break through the Wild Wolf Pack’s defense?" Gaven asked in astonishment.

When he’d first taken over the vineyard, boars, field mice, and wild hares were the most hunted targets.

In preparation for this unique war, the Dog Demon had been going all out for some time.

All the wolves that could be mustered from tens of kilometers around had been gathered.

The count had exceeded a thousand, with five hundred patrolling around the entire vineyard, hunting and intimidating any uninvited visitors.

"These aren’t ordinary boars; they are Razorback Boars, the tyrants of the valley. Regular wolves don’t stand a chance, not to mention the Korsoman Tigers and Owl Bears, which would take a detour at the sight of a family of them. It’s very rare to see them gather in such a horde, which likely means there’s a Razorback Boar King among them."

The Half-Moon Colt was not just Gaven’s mount; she was his half-personal secretary now. She would be notified first of matters not too important and then relay them to Gaven.

Up to this point, she had performed her duties well and faithfully.

"Razorback Boars? You aren’t talking about the ones with tusks like scythes, are you?" Gaven asked, his face lighting up with excitement.

"Exactly, those boars," the Half-Moon Colt replied while suddenly pressing her body low, grazing just a few meters above the vineyard. A long neigh echoed from her.

Buzz!

The effect was like poking a hornet’s nest; countless birds took flight from the surroundings, forming several flocks that fluttered in the sky.

Luna couldn’t help but burst out laughing; it was a game she had grown fond of over the past two days.

Though now a Druid, her immersion in this career stemmed from her close connection with the Fairy Wilderness.

Her personality was far removed from that of a traditional Druid.

In many aspects, she sided with Holy Warriors, with Humans.

The uninvited birds weren’t here to share nature’s fruits; they were pests that destroyed crops.

Chasing them away came with no moral burdens.

"Bad guys... bad guys... bad guys..."

"Grandsons... grandsons... grandsons..."

"Cheap tricks... cheap tricks... cheap tricks..."

"Pests... pests... pests..."

A multicolored flock of birds, roused from their perch, did not panic and flee, but followed behind the Half-Moon Colt, chirping and cursing loudly.

These birds had gray-white, curved beaks and black eyes. Their wingspan could reach between forty and fifty centimeters. Their feathers were a variety of colors; the ones with bright red, orange, or yellow were mostly males, and the brown or gray ones were females.

This was a common trait among birds: the more beautiful ones were typically males, aimed at attracting mates.

These birds were named Keluo Parrots, a mischievous and curious bird species that enjoyed socializing and mainly came for the insects, with eating grapes to supplement sugar as an afterthought.

Their first day at the vineyard saw them spooked by Luna the Half-Moon Colt, and a feud was born.

Compared to other birds, they were exceptionally bold.

Because they had an ace up their sleeve, which of course wasn’t just their parrot-like ability to mimic curses.

They were Magic Beasts with the supernatural ability of Rainbow Burst.

The eponymous first-circle spell used by Mages was researched by imitating this supernatural ability.

Upon casting, dazzling colors would scatter forward, forming a conical spray area. Those within it could be stunned, blinded, or even knocked unconscious, depending on the creature’s inherent strength. The smaller the creature and the lower its Life Dice, the more severe the impact.

An assembly of over a hundred Keluo Parrots cursing while continuously firing their Rainbow Burst was quite a spectacle.

"Are you doing this on purpose? Are you planning to use them against those Razorback Boars?"

Just from the Half-Moon Colt’s speed, Gaven had a vague idea of what she intended to do.

Even without utilizing Natural Blessing, those Keluo Parrots wouldn’t stand a chance catching up with her at full speed.